Snow Storm Raises Flooding Concerns In Framingham

Nov 16, 2018

FRAMINGHAM (WBZ-AM) -- It's the week before Thanksgiving, and there's already snow on the ground. According to the National Weather Service, Framingham received about 8.5 inches of snow.

But the Sudbury River is already near flood stage, and as the rain melts away the snow, "it's turning into water, so that's just going to exasperate some of the high water issues that we're currently dealing with," Framingham Highway and Sanitation Director Daniel Nau tells WBZ NewsRadio's Bernice Corpuz.

Nau said leaves are clogging up some of the catch basins around the city.

"That creates surface flooding, and it doesn't promote really good drainage," he said.

"It's an early storm, you know, so it's good for everyone who plows," he said.

But the rain has turned the snow into slush--making it difficult for homeowner Rob McDermott to clear his driveway. He was hoping the white stuff would be gone by the time he woke up.

"It was already soaked and compacted," he said. "Very heavy. I wasn't happy with the weather men!"

Temperatures are expected to drop, so the next concern after flooding is icing. For now, Nau says, the city is focused on catching up on other services.

"Because of the Veterans Day holiday, we're a day behind getting all the trash picked up, so they'll all have to work again tomorrow, and then we'll need a crew on tonight to deal with some of the de-icing issues," he said.